A Review of Solar Energy : Markets, Economics and Policies

Solar energy has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years due to both technological improvements resulting in cost reductions and government policies supportive of renewable energy development and utilization. This study analyzes the technical, economic and policy aspects of solar energy development and deployment. While the cost of solar energy has declined rapidly in the recent past, it still remains much higher than the cost of conventional energy technologies. Like other renewable energy technologies, solar energy benefits from fiscal and regulatory incentives and mandates, including tax credits and exemptions, feed-in-tariff, preferential interest rates, renewable portfolio standards and voluntary green power programs in many countries. Potential expansion of carbon credit markets also would provide additional incentives to solar energy deployment; however, the scale of incentives provided by the existing carbon market instruments, such as the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, is limited. Despite the huge technical potential, development and large-scale, market-driven deployment of solar energy technologies world-wide still has to overcome a number of technical and financial barriers. Unless these barriers are overcome, maintaining and increasing electricity supplies from solar energy will require continuation of potentially costly policy supports.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Timilsina, Govinda R., Kurdgelashvili, Lado, Narbel, Patrick A.
Format: Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
Published: 2011-10-01
Subjects:AIR, AIR POLLUTION, AMORPHOUS SILICON, APPROACH, AVAILABILITY, BALANCE, BATTERIES, BIOGAS, BIOMASS, BUILDING MATERIALS, CADMIUM, CAPACITY FACTOR, CAPACITY FACTORS, CAPACITY OF HEAT, CAPACITY UTILIZATION, CARBON, CARBON CAPTURE, CARBON CREDITS, CARBON FINANCE, CARBON INTENSITY, CARBON MARKET, CARBON TAX, CLEAN ENERGY, CLIMATE, CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, CO2, COAL, COGENERATION, CONSTRUCTION COST, CONVENTIONAL ENERGY, CONVENTIONAL FUELS, COOLING SYSTEMS, COPPER, COST OF ELECTRICITY, COSTS OF ELECTRICITY, COSTS OF EMISSIONS, DESERTS, DIESEL, DIFFUSION, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS, ELECTRIC GENERATION, ELECTRIC POWER, ELECTRIC UTILITIES, ELECTRIC UTILITY, ELECTRICITY, ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION, ELECTRICITY DEMAND, ELECTRICITY GENERATION, ELECTRICITY GENERATION CAPACITY, ELECTRICITY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES, ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, ELECTRICITY SALES, ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, ELECTRICITY UTILITIES, ELECTRIFICATION, EMISSION, EMISSION REDUCTION, EMISSION REDUCTION TARGETS, EMISSION REDUCTIONS, EMISSIONS, ENERGY ECONOMICS, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS, ENERGY INDUSTRY, ENERGY MARKETS, ENERGY MIX, ENERGY OUTLOOK, ENERGY POLICIES, ENERGY POLICY, ENERGY RESOURCES, ENERGY SOURCES, ENERGY SYSTEMS, ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, ENVIRONMENTAL EXTERNALITIES, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, EXCESS ELECTRICITY, FOSSIL, FOSSIL ENERGY, FOSSIL FUEL, FOSSIL FUEL PRICES, FOSSIL FUELS, FUEL CELLS, FUEL COST, FUEL COSTS, FUEL PRICE, GAS TURBINE, GENERATING CAPACITY, GHG, GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND, GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY, GLOBAL WARMING, GREEN POWER, GREEN POWER PROGRAMS, GREENHOUSE, GREENHOUSE GAS, GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION, GRID APPLICATIONS, GRID POWER, GRID SYSTEMS, HEAT, HEAT TRANSFER, HEATING SYSTEMS, HOT WATER, HYDROGEN, HYDROPOWER, IPCC, KILOWATT-HOUR, KILOWATT-HOUR OF ELECTRICITY, LANDFILL, LANDFILL GAS, LOW-CARBON, NATURAL GAS, NATURAL GAS PRICE, NUCLEAR PLANTS, NUCLEAR POWER, NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, OIL, OIL EQUIVALENT, OIL PRICES, PEAK GENERATION, PEAK LOADS, PHOTOVOLTAIC MARKETS, POWER GENERATION, POWER GENERATION CAPACITY, POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES, POWER GRID, POWER INDUSTRY, POWER PLANT, POWER PLANTS, POWER PRODUCTION, POWER PROJECT, POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS, POWER SECTOR, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SYSTEM, POWER SYSTEMS, PRIMARY ENERGY, PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND, PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY, PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY, PUBLIC UTILITIES, RAW MATERIALS, RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT, RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES, RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATORS, RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTFOLIO STANDARDS, RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS, RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES, RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLY, RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS, RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARDS, RENEWABLE RESOURCE, RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES, RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, RESIDUAL FUEL, RESIDUAL FUEL OIL, RURAL ELECTRIFICATION, RURAL ENERGY, SOLAR CELL, SOLAR COLLECTORS, SOLAR ENERGY, SOLAR ENERGY MARKET, SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL, SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS, SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES, SOLAR HOME SYSTEMS, SOLAR INSTALLATION, SOLAR IRRADIANCE, SOLAR POWER, SOLAR RADIATION, SOLAR RESOURCES, SOLAR SYSTEMS, SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES, SOLAR THERMAL, SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS, SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRIC, SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY, SOLAR THERMAL MARKET, SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS, SOLAR WATER HEATERS, SOLAR WATER HEATING, STEAM COAL, SUNLIGHT, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, TAX CREDIT, TAX CREDITS, TAX EXEMPTION, TAX EXEMPTIONS, TAX INCENTIVES, TAX REBATE, THERMAL CAPACITY, THERMAL LOSSES, THERMAL PLANT, THERMAL POWER, THERMAL POWER PLANTS, THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES, UNEP, URANIUM, UTILITIES, UTILITY GRID, VOLTAGE, WATER HEATING, WATER HEATING SYSTEM, WIND, WIND POWER, ZINC,
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111017113749
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3612
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